Personal Protection Equipment Industry News

Lorry painting firm prosecuted by the HSEPosted on 27/07/2015

Paintshop Northern Limited, a company which paints Lorries, has been fined after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).

The case, brought forward by as a result of an employees’ leg being severely fractured, was recently heard at Bradford Magistrates' Court, where the details of the incident were revealed. Two suspension arms were in the process of being painted by the business which is located in in Oakenshaw.

One of the suspension arms, weighing 370kg, fell from a fork lift truck and struck the employee, fracturing his leg as it knocked him over. The employee was trying to help the operator of the fork lift truck to remove the suspension arms off of the vehicle’s forks.

The forks of the truck had been raised to a height of two metres so that the arms could be sprayed, although they hadn't been secured on to the forks. According to David Welsh, an inspector of Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the injuries suffered could have been much worse and occurred as a result of various failings on the part of the company.

Welsh maintained that the operation had been unsafe from the start and the incident could have been prevented. According to the inspector, the suspension arms should have been correctly secured to the industrial truck and supervision should have been used to lower them safely.

Employers and employees alike can maintain safety in the workplace by using appropriate supervision, PPE (personal protective equipment) and workwear, to conform with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).

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